


Going Up The Country

by UmbreonGurl



Series: KDA Character Studies [4]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - K/DA (League of Legends), Character Study, Fluff, Gen, no beta we die like your inting teammates, several relationships are hinted at in the bg but none are explicitly stated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:20:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27111088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UmbreonGurl/pseuds/UmbreonGurl
Summary: Making K/DA happen was a journey, but it’s one Ahri would gladly take again if given the chance.
Series: KDA Character Studies [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965985
Comments: 14
Kudos: 68





	Going Up The Country

Ahri really hadn’t meant to be gone for three years.

She figures she must have simply gotten carried away in the crisp mountain air, running and napping and drowning in the thrill of _freedom_ for what feels like the first time in forever.

Sure, her shackles may have not been physical—made of mountains of paper and legal lingo so complicated it made her head spin—but they felt just as real, and if there’s one thing Ahri can say she truly, positively _hates_ , it’s being tied down.

She had started making music because she had something to say—she wanted to be heard, not to be turned into some silly little prop on stage. (In hindsight, it’s not unlike the people hundreds of years ago would have done, different only in the fact they’d be mounting her head on top of the fireplace instead of the Billboard Top 100.)

It’s why immediately after Ahri breaks her contract, she goes off the grid. She cancels her lease on her apartment and quickly shoves her furniture into a long-term storage locker. After one last text, she tosses her phone and its charger into a little plastic box, before throwing that in there too and locking the door.

Returning to her roots for a while is refreshing, to say the least. It’s rare, nowadays, that Ahri gets to let her claws out, to feel paws on gravel and grass as she runs wherever her whims may take her. Needless to say, adjusting back to two legs again afterwards is a bit of a challenge, but she manages.

Ahri is in a fabulous mood until she returns to her storage locker to find her things coated in dust. She’s not worried that any of it is damaged (she had been careful to make sure everything was packaged up nice and neat), but the amount of dust that covers the little plastic container she had left her phone in sets her on edge. 

Ahri has a very bad feeling that she’s been gone _far_ longer than she had intended. Her tail flicks anxiously side-to-side as she waits for her phone to charge enough to confirm her suspicions. 

When the screen finally lights up only to say it’s 2016 instead of 2013, her stomach drops. She quickly opens her messages (while ignoring the seemingly _thousands_ of notifications) and sends a text to Evelynn.

_I know I told you I was going off the grid for a while, but I think I may have lost track of time just a little bit._

The reply is near-instantaneous.

_I can tell. Meet me for dinner tomorrow and I’ll fill you in on what you’ve missed. The world changes far faster than it used to, you know. You should be more careful next time._

Ahri smiles, before typing out a response. 

_Of course. I will. Thanks, Eve. I don’t know what I’d do without you._

It takes a few minutes to get another reply.

_Die, probably. :)_

The statement is so positively _Evelynn_ that Ahri almost wants to laugh. 

_Bitch._

Ahri is quickly left on read. Some things never change.

* * *

Ahri has always been touchy, never shy with hugs or kisses on the cheek and other such gestures of affection. Evelynn has always been the opposite, far more subtle in the various ways she expresses her favor—with pretty words and small touches and smiles.

At first glance, their friendship might seem a bit strange. In many ways they seem like polar opposites, but in many others, they could not be farther from it. Evelynn is one of the few people who Ahri knows truly understands what it’s like to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. (Granted, their feelings on the matter are very different, but the reality of it all is that they are two sides of the same coin.)

The world has long since passed the age of magic and demons—yet here they sit, two monsters among men, sharing a table at a restaurant as any other person would. 

“I know I already told you this, but you really do need to be more careful next time, Ahri dear,” Evelynn says, stirring her martini. “The world changes quite a bit faster than it did when people still flew around in balloons.”

“You’re one to talk, miss _all of my exes mysteriously go missing_.”

Evelynn brings her glass to her lips with a small smile. “It stays mysterious for a reason, darling. I’m careful to make sure it stays that way.” 

“And _I’m_ careful to make sure to have lovely, well-connected friends to keep me up to date when I get back from my _spa days._ ” Ahri’s ears flatten towards her head. “What’s your point here, Eve?”

“My, my, it seems you _do_ still have fangs after all.” Evelynn’s smile widens into a full-on smirk as she sets her glass back down on the table. “For a while there, I was worried you had become domesticated, given the way you danced around on stage to someone else’s orders like a well-trained dog.”

“You know as well as I do that wasn’t what happened.” Ahri frowns. 

“Do I?” The way Evelynn says the words makes it sound like a challenge. 

“You do.” Ahri confirms, not backing down. “If that were the case, I wouldn’t have left at all.”

Evelynn hums. “I suppose that’s true.” 

Ahri takes a sip of her own drink, some fruity little thing she had long forgotten the name of. She can feel Evelynn’s eyes following her every move. 

“So,” Evelynn asks, “what do you plan to do now?” 

“I’m not sure.” Ahri sighs. “I still want to make music, but I’m probably not going to go signing myself off to any record labels anytime soon.”

“Of course,” Evelynn closes her eyes for a moment and gives a small, approving nod. “You may be a fool, but you’re not a big enough one to do that.”

Ahri ignores the insult. “I did have an idea, however.” 

“Oh?” Golden eyes stare into her own like knives, cutting straight to the truth of the matter. “Do tell.”

“I was thinking I could cut out the middleman—y’know, make my own stuff, _my_ way. I’ve got the connections and I’ve got the funds, so I could start producing my own stuff—or maybe even make a group. I don’t know.” Ahri frowns, pursing her lips as she thinks. “I’m not too sure on the details yet, but I’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

“If you do make a group, I’ll join,” says Evelynn, after a brief moment of silence.

“I’m sorry?” Ahri backpedals, because _surely she had misheard?_

“I’ve been a bit fed up with things recently as well, to tell you the truth, and it sounds interesting.” Evelynn grabs the toothpick out of her martini with one hand and delicately removes the olive with the other, before popping it into her mouth. “Besides, you’ll need me. While you may have connections, when it comes to technology, you’re a bit hopeless.”

“I am not,” Ahri protests. “I know how to use Twitter, and I’m quite good at Facebook as well.”

“Nobody uses Facebook anymore. Do you have a Snapchat?”

“Do I have a _what?”_

“That’s what I thought.” Evelynn smiles. “Three years is a long time for humans, _gumiho_. A lot can change.”

“That’s not a problem. I can handle a little change,” Ahri pauses, before flashing a grin that shows just a hint of fangs. Clawed fingers wrap their way around her glass. “The real question is if the rest of the world is ready for it.”

* * *

Despite what Evelynn says, Ahri is a fast learner and takes back to social media like a fish to water. Her fans are elated at her sudden return, and with an effective build-up, rebranding, and marketing campaign, the new cosmetics line she drops soon after coming back to the spotlight sells like a charm. 

More often than not, Ahri finds herself scrolling and scrolling whenever she has a moment of free time. No matter how much of a powerhouse Evelynn is both on stage and behind the scenes, a group can’t really be complete with just two people. 

While social media has its issues, lack of people is not one of them. There’s no lawyers, no greased palms, no red tape brought by the usual channels of the industry— the internet allows for people to throw up raw footage of what _they_ want others to see. This makes it the perfect place to look.

Whenever Ahri gets the chance, she spends hours scrolling. Skilled dancers, singers, and artists of all kinds line her screen, but none of them feel quite _right_. 

Then she stumbles onto a video of a class at a dance studio that does not ask for her attention, but _demands_ it. The woman leading the class is confident, every movement she makes calling eyes to watch, to listen to the message she sends with each step. 

Halfway through the video, Ahri catches a glimpse of something that makes her lean a bit closer towards her screen. It’s brief, barely there for more than a fraction of a second, but there’s a flash of silver and purple by the woman’s shoulders that clearly say that she’s more than she initially appears.

The void leaves its mark on those who enter it, and the few who manage to return are never the same. Ahri’s met a few survivors over the years, and although incidents nowadays are rare, the void is always lurking, always waiting, always hungry.

Kai’Sa, the caption says her name is, is a void-touched. And somehow, that only makes Ahri _more_ interested. One video quickly turns into two, and then to three, and before Ahri knows it, she’s gone through _The Firefly Collective’s_ entire profile. 

She sends a link Evelynn’s way before she goes back to re-watch.

 _Opinions?_ she writes along with it.

Evelynn can sometimes take a while to reply, but by Ahri’s third watch-through of Kai’Sa’s videos, she gets impatient.

_Hello? Bitch, I sent you possible recruitment information. Please respond._

A few minutes later, her phone rings.

 _“What?”_ Evelynn snaps, over what sounds like a power drill in the background. “ _If you can’t tell, I’m a bit busy._ ”

Ahri pouts and switches Evelynn to speakerphone. “Did you even read my texts?”

 _“No,”_ comes the reply. The drilling pauses for a brief moment. _“I’ve been face-first in an engine for the past three hours.”_

“Then why—” The drill turns on again. “—are you calling me?”

_“Because you made my phone scream. I can’t text right now—my hands are covered in oil—so fill me in. What, exactly, is so urgent?”_

“I think I found the perfect person to do our choreography,” Ahri replies. “I sent you a video of her stuff. It’s got a lot of energy, and her vibes are just— _ugh,_ so good.”

_“And have you signed her on?”_

“No.” Ahri pouts. “I wanted to get your thoughts first.”

_“I’m flattered, but you shouldn’t need to. I trust your opinion.”_

“I’ll take that as a “ _yes, I approve._ ” Thanks, Eve.”

_“Don’t put words in my mouth. You—”_

Ahri presses the end call button before Evelynn can finish.

* * *

Kai’Sa herself is easy to track down, which makes sense given the fact she teaches classes at the same time and place several days a week. Getting a moment of her time, however, proves to be far more difficult.

Classes are booked up full—and even if they weren’t, regulars get priority. To make things worse, when Kai’Sa’s not in the studio, she’s far harder to find.

This doesn’t deter Ahri in the least. After refreshing the website every day for what feels like weeks straight, a single private lesson slot opens up. She immediately jumps at the opportunity.

The timing isn’t ideal, and Ahri has to reschedule more than a few meetings with designers to make it work, but it’s more than worth it when she gets an hour blocked off all to herself. Unfortunately, the woman in question doesn’t seem quite as thrilled about it when Ahri walks in the door in what is _very_ clearly not dance-ready attire. 

“Are you Audrey?” she asks, looking Ahri up and down with a small frown. 

“No. Well—yes, but no.” Ahri pauses for a moment to try to collect her thoughts. “Did I make this appointment under that name? Yes. Is my name Audrey? No.” 

“Well, whatever your name is, I hope you have a change of shoes,” Kai’Sa raises an eyebrow and with a disapproving glance towards Ahri’s shoes, she places her hands on her hips. “Because I cannot in good faith allow you to dance in those heels.”

“Actually, about that—” Ahri starts, before stopping. “Wait. You mean you don’t recognize me?”

“No,” Kai’Sa responds, deadpan. “Am I supposed to?”

“Yes. Just a little bit.” Bringing a hand across her face, Ahri sighs. “Well, I’m Ahri. Y’know, FOXY Cosmetics Ahri, ex pop-star Ahri, _that_ Ahri?”

“Okay,” Kai’Sa replies calmly. “Well, _that Ahri_ , I’m sure you already know this considering you scheduled a lesson with me, but I’m Kai’Sa.”

“No, I know that.” Ahri shakes her head. “You’re why I’m here.”

Kai’Sa simply stares. “Yes, I’m why most people come here. It’s _my_ studio, after all.” 

“No—you don’t get it.” 

“You’re right. I _don’t_ get why you wore Gucci to a dance lesson, but yet here we are.” Kai’Sa turns and walks towards the corner of the room where a small speaker is set up. “First thing’s first, off with the shoes.” 

“About that. I’m going to be real with you, I’m not actually here to dance.” Ahri chuckles awkwardly and brings a hand up to rub at the back of her neck. “You’ll still be compensated for your time, of course, but I really just wanted a chance to speak with you about an opportunity.”

Kai’Sa pauses, before glancing back towards Ahri. “Then speak. I’m afraid you likely won’t like my answer, but you paid for my time and ultimately how we spend it is up to you.”

“I’m starting a group with a good friend of mine—I don’t know if you’ve heard of Evelynn, but she’s pretty much my right-hand man on this whole project. She’s doing most of the vocals, but we still need choreo.” Ahri raises her hand and points a finger at Kai’Sa. “And that, my friend, is where you come in.”

“No thanks,” Kai’Sa cuts in. “I’m quite happy here.”

“You wouldn’t have to leave this place behind. Everyone involved will be free to follow their passions. I have my cosmetics, Eve has her cars—the whole idea here is to give everyone as much freedom as possible.” Ahri shrugs. “Both of us have had… less than pleasant experiences in the past with major record labels, and we wanted to try something new.”

“Mmm…” Kai’Sa hums. “I’d have to think about it.”

“That’s all I ask.”

* * *

It takes a few phone calls with Evelynn to get Kai’Sa fully on-board. 

Evelynn’s always been better with the nitty-gritty details. Ahri is often the one with the ideas, but Evelynn is always there to make things happen—an unstoppable driving force ready to run over anyone who gets in her way.

Kai’Sa is in many ways everything Evelynn is not. She’s soft spoken, unintimidating, approachable and down-to-earth. In others, though, they are very much alike. Both of them have an iron-will and the sheer stubbornness to outmatch even a mule. 

It’s why Ahri is so alarmed when she and Kai’Sa get along like a house on fire. She’s now outnumbered two-to-one, and that’s a problem.

She gets back onto her phone and starts scrolling again. What exactly she’s looking for, she’s not sure, but they need at _least_ one more person to balance things out.

They have choreo, so the dancing videos are quickly flipped past, they have vocals, courtesy of her and Evelynn, but what they don’t have is _rap._ Luckily, there is no shortage of rappers online. 

When you cut out all the men, though, the pool of candidates gets far smaller. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It’s good because Ahri has to spend far less time digging through dirt to strike gold, but it is also bad in that the gold she finds is _ancient_ as far as social media time goes.

The thing that finally catches her interest is a blurry, shaky video of a kid facing off against a guy in a street rap battle. The video’s years old, so the girl in it probably isn’t a kid anymore, but she’s _good._ And given the amount of passion she clearly has for her craft, Ahri can only bet she’s gotten better since then.

As soon as she clicks over to _@TheDragonSlayer3’s_ profile and looks at their most recent video, Ahri knows she was right in her initial assumption. 

_Akali, she/her, 20. Got big dreams and even bigger game. Will rise to any challenge, try me if you dare._

Her bio _screams_ confidence, and every video she's posted backs it up. (Her follower count is criminally underrated, but that’s a problem that can be dealt with at a later date.) It only takes a few videos to know that Akali is just what Ahri has been looking for. 

Most importantly, though, Akali’s DMs are open. Ahri takes advantage of the opportunity to slide right into them like it’s her god-given right. 

_Hey,_ she writes, _I recently looked through your profile, you do some awesome work! Have any interest in joining a group I’m making? We’re looking for a rapper and I think you’d be a great fit!_

Immediately after pressing send, Ahri calls Evelynn. She picks up after the third ring.

_“What did you do this time?”_

Ahri scoffs in mock offense. “Why do you always assume I’ve done something when I call you?”

 _“Because you almost always have.”_ Tires screech on asphalt in the background. 

“Almost always. Not always.” Ahri pauses. “Wait, Eve, are you driving right now?”

 _“It’s hands-free, don’t you worry your pretty little head.”_ Evelynn chuckles. _“It’s perfectly safe.”_

“I’m pretty sure several studies have proven that’s not entirely true, but whatever. I didn’t call you to talk about your driving habits.” Ahri’s tail swishes back and forth in the air as she talks like a pleased cat. “I think I found us our fourth member.”

 _“Please tell me you didn’t contact them before calling me.”_ The way Evelynn says it makes it very clear she knows just as well as Ahri that isn’t the case. She sighs. _“You did, didn’t you.”_

“I sent her one message,” Ahri protests. “No response yet, though.”

 _“When you get one, pass her my information. I’m handling this. I want to—”_ Evelynn pauses before her words turn to ice. _“If this were two-hundred years ago, I would have had you strung up in the town square by your toes for pulling something like that. Cut me off again in your little shitbox and see what happens. I dare you.”_

After a moment of silence Evelynn’s anger dissipates and her tone of voice goes back to being calm and collected. _“Anyways. I want to make sure you don’t scare her off the way you almost did with Kai’Sa.”_

“You’re not budging on this, are you?” Ahri asks, even though she already knows the answer.

_“No.”_

“Fine,” Ahri relents, “but keep me updated.” 

_“Of course.”_

“I still think that you should be more careful about distracted dri—”

This time, it is Evelynn who hangs up on her. 

* * *

Evelynn’s methods for tracking people down are not always legal, but it cannot be said that they don’t get results. It takes her very little time at all to get a “yes” and a signed contract from Akali.

The first time Ahri meets her in person, she finds out that Akali is surprisingly forward. They’d talked online, yes, but Akali makes it very clear from the moment she opens her mouth that her filter is far better when it comes to the written word.

“Huh,” says Akali, contemplatively. “So do you usually wear the fursuit outside the studio? I mean—I know that’s kinda your aesthetic and all, but you really didn’t have to dress up just to see little ol’ me.”

Ahri tilts her head. “Fursuit?”

“Yeah.” Akali nods, gesturing with her hands towards Ahri’s tail and ears excitedly. “Like, _wow._ For the ears and tail to move like that, the tech must be insane. Kudos to whoever you had make those things, dude. They look so _real_.”

It’s not an uncommon misconception that her ears and tails are props. In fact, most of the time, it’s one Ahri doesn’t bother correcting, but given the fact that they are all going to be living and working together in close quarters, she figures it’s better to let the proverbial cat out of the bag sooner rather than later.

Ahri laughs. “They look real because they are.”

“Seriously?” Akali opens her mouth, then closes it. Then opens it again. 

Ahri nods in confirmation. “Yup.”

“Fuck, dude.” Akali looks downright perplexed. “So then you’re _not_ a furry?”

Ahri frowns. “I’m not exactly sure what a furry is, but if it means the ears and tail are fake, then no. I’m not one.”

“Huh,” Akali mumbles. “Okay then. I’m assuming that means you’re not really in your twenties then either?” 

“No.” Ahri raises an eyebrow, and pauses when Akali doesn’t seem to react. “You don’t seem all that surprised.”

“I’ve seen weirder shit. One of my masters back when I lived at a dojo was a yordle old enough to have taught my great-grandmother, and yordles aren’t supposed to exist anymore.” Akali shrugs. “At this point, I’ve just learned it’s better to just roll with whatever the world throws at you.”

It is immediately after Akali says this that Ahri knows she had chosen the right person. 

She’s proven right when they all start working on things— _really_ working for the first time.

Akali fits into the group like the last piece of the puzzle they hadn’t known they’d been missing. Her energy is downright infectious, and she’s constantly keeping everyone on their toes, ready to move, ready to go.

Kai’Sa and Akali bond over dancing to rap beats, Evelynn—surprisingly enough—lets Akali into her garage, and Ahri will admit to dragging her to high-end clothing stores for retail therapy more than once. 

With Akali’s addition, the group is finally complete, and with the group complete, they can finally work on making something happen.

Everything snowballs from there.

* * *

_POP/STARS_ is—in every way, shape, and form—a smashing success, and the days after its release are spent celebrating. 

Ahri doesn’t truthfully remember much of the night before, but the hangover she wakes up to tells her all she needs to know about how their night at the club had gone. 

She makes her way downstairs to start making some coffee, and it’s not long after she makes a fresh pot that Akali makes her way down the stairs.

“Coffee?” Ahri offers, as she pours herself a cup. 

“God, yes please,” Akali replies, taking a seat at the counter and letting her head fall onto her arms. 

Ahri wordlessly pours some into a mug and slides it over. She receives a mumbled “thanks” from Akali in response.

Lured by the siren’s song of fresh caffeine, Evelynn comes out from the garage with oil-stained hands a few minutes later. She, too, goes straight for the coffee, but does not cling to her cup like a lifeline as Ahri and Akali do.

“Rough night?” Evelynn asks, glancing over towards them with a small smile.

“Dunno,” Akali grumbles. “You tell me. I don’t remember much after Ahri dared me to do those vodka shots.”

“The fact you drank more than me and feel none of it is so unfair,” Ahri groans.

Evelynn laughs.

It doesn’t take long for the caffeine to work its magic, and small talk turns to chatter turns to reminiscing as everyone perks up a bit.

“Oh yeah, I realized I never asked you, Akali,” Ahri says. “What exactly did Eve do to convince you to join, anyways? She always avoids the question when I ask her.”

Akali gives Ahri a confused glance. “What do you mean? You asked me, she asked me, I said yes, and the rest is history.”

“Wait, so all she did was ask?” Ahri furrows her eyebrows. “She didn't do anything else?” 

“No?” Akali tilts her head. “Why would she need to? Did you expect me to say no to a hot celebrity on a motorcycle offering me my dream job?”

“Honestly? Yeah.” Ahri shrugs. “Kai’Sa did at first.”

As if on queue, Kai’Sa walks into the kitchen, back from her morning run.

“First of all, Ahri, you weren’t on a motorbike,” she says. “Second of all, you’re not my type.”

“Oh, and _Evelynn_ was?” Ahri frowns and sets her now mostly-empty mug down on the counter.

Evelynn pats her on the shoulder sympathetically. “Sorry, darling, I’m everyone’s type. That’s just how it is.” 

Evelynn then glances up towards Kai’Sa with a sly grin and waggling eyebrows. “Although, I think someone who’s _more_ Kai’Sa’s type than I made her food last night.”

At that, Akali perks up. “Oh yeah, I totally forgot you scored some chick’s number last night when you left us for food. Is she hot?”

Kai’Sa sighs. “We are _not_ talking about this right now.”

“Oh, yes the hell we are,” Akali says. “I want details.”

As the room slowly devolves into bickering, Ahri can’t help but smile. They might not always get along, but everyone currently hanging around in the kitchen is as good as family and Ahri has never felt quite so at home.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this about halfway done and then a friend of mine fed me with art and I spedrun the other ~2k I had left to do in like a day. (They had the GENIUS idea to be like "Akali said yes to joining KDA as soon as she saw Eve on a motorcycle” LMAO. If you want to see the piece of art in question, it's [this.](https://twitter.com/eiouna/status/1317923508589088769?s=20)) If you can't tell who my favorite is by the wordcount alone, I absolutely go gaga for Ahri. Have had a lot of fun with experimenting and trying to get a grasp on all of the girls' characters, so hopefully I can do more stuff with them in the future. >:)
> 
> TLDR this whole fic was a blast to write and I like to think I'm funny sometimes. 
> 
> For snippets, updates on what I'm working on, and a shit ton of art retweets, feel free to check out my [twitter.](https://twitter.com/UmbreonGurl)


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